THE first feature film from Glasgow-born writer, comedian and director, Armando Iannucci, is to kick start this year’s Glasgow Film Festival, now in its fifth year and the fastest-growing film festival in the UK.
The Loop is the opening night film at the festival, which is taking place between the 12th and the 22nd of next month, and which, last year, saw another massive increase in attendance, with audience figures to over 20,000.
The screening will be the UK premiere of The Loop, described as “a big screen companion to Iannucci’s savagely funny [political] satire, [television drama] The Thick of It”.
Adds the festival ordganisers: “[It] follows a political innocent who becomes embroiled in the snake-pit of international diplomacy as the storm clouds of war gather in the Middle East. The film boasts an amazing cast that includes James Gandolfini, Tom Hollander, Gina McKee and local actors Paul Higgens and Peter Capaldi who reprises his iconic role as foul-mouthed spin doctor [from The Thick of It], Malcolm Tucker.”
Adds festival co-director, Allison Gardner: “The film couldn’t be more timely and arrives fresh from its world premiere at Sundance. We are extremely pleased that Armando Iannucci and members of the cast will travel to Glasgow to attend the UK premiere.
“The festival has come such a long way in such a short time and we couldn’t hope for a better film to begin our most ambitious festival programme.”
Glasgow-born actor Bill Paterson will also attend the festival to help celebrate the silver anniversary of Scots director, Bill Forsyth’s Comfort and Joy (1984) and to discuss a distinguished film career that includes work with directors Terry Gilliam, Nicolas Roeg and Anthony Minghella.
